Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan

Kukeldash Madrasah, a medieval madrasah in Tashkent, built around 1570 by the Shaybanid Dynasty of rulers. It is built of yellow brick and has a traditional square shape with a big portal and an inner yard. The walls around the inner yard contain cells inhabited by the students. The portal is 20 metres high and contains two towers at its sides. It was converted into a caravanserai in the 18th century, then it served as a fortress. In the 20th century it was a museum, first of atheism, and later of folk music. In the 1990s the building was made a madrasah again.